Thied to samuel hibsch



' (No Model.)

STRIKING MECHANISM FOR GLOGKS.

No. 377,935. Patented Feb. 14, 1888.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMILE GROUX, OF VVILKES-BARRE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- THIRD TO SAMUEL HIRSOH, OF SAME PLACE.

STRIKING MECHANiSM FOR CLOCKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part. of Letters Patent No. 377,935, dated February 14, 1888. Application filed February 25, 1887. Serial No. 228,858. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMILE GROUX, of Wilkes- Barr, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Striking Mechanisms; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to improvements in the construction and application of striking mechanism for clocks; and it consists in the new combination and arrangement of parts whereby I am enabled to dispense with the usual key-wound spring-movement for the striking devices by substituting therefor a relatively light hammer actuating spring so arranged and applied as to be automatically rewound after striking by the same spring which is employed to drive the time mechanism or by the movement of the minute and hour hand in setting the clock, all as hereinafter more full y described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a View from the rear and with the back plate shown in outline only of a clock mechanism of ordinary construction, showing one mode of applying my present invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the mechanism shownin Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged front view of the improved striking devices detached. Fig. 4is a detail illustrating the mode of applying and connecting the hammer-actuatin g spring. Fig. 5 is a view of a detail.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures indicate the same parts.

Although, as will readily be understood, my present invention is applicable to and can readily be used in connection with almost any description of clock mechanism wherein the train of gearing is driven by a spring, weight, or

' equivalent motor, I have for convenience of description and illustration shown it as ap plied to the ordinary form of clock-frame, of which A designates the motive-power spring, and B the arbor, to which the minute and hour hands areapplied or connected, the intermediate gearing being so well understood that it tate the latter.

is deemed unnecessary for the purposes of this case to describe or even refer to their constituent parts.

The striking mechanism,or, at 1east,s0 much of it as operates to control and regulate the movement of the hammer C, is or may be of any approved form and construction, that shown by way of illustration embracing the hammer 0, supported upon shaft 0, the latter provided with a lever, 0, through which the hammer is raised, and when released the latter is driven by springs 0 toward the bell G, the releasing-lever D, supported upon a shaft, d, carrying an arm, (1, for raising the latch of the divisionwheel, and the division-wheel E, with latch E, entering and engaging notches in said wheel, and a stop'lever, E, connected to the shaft 0, on which latch E is mounted, said stop-lever being arranged to Vibrate in unison with the latch, all of which parts are old and well known; hence do not require further description.

Ordinarily the devices for actuating the lever 0 of the striking mechanism and for controlling the movements of the stop-lever E have been mounted in one side of the framework or in a separate frame and driven by a spring or weight similar to but independent of the spring A ofthe clock-frame; but for greater convenience, to diminish the number of parts, and provide a more compact arrangement of the mechanism I prefer to adopt the following construction:

Upon the arbor B is mounted a wheel, 1, carrying a series of pins, 2, preferaly eight in number, for engaging the end of lever c, and upon the same arbor is mounted a wheel, 3, whose teeth mesh in those of a pinion, 4, secured to a shaft, 5, mounted in bearings and carrying a wheel, 6, and a disk or cam, 7, provided with a notch, 8, into which the bent end of the stop-lever E is projected, said disk 7 being also provided with a pin, 16, for entering the notches in the division-wheel E to ro- 9, on shaft 10,which latter also carries a wheel, 11, engaging a pinion, 12, on the shaft 13 of thefly 14.. The shaft 13 is provided with a pin or toe, 14, standing in line with an arm or lever, 15, carried by the shaft d.

The wheel 6 engages a pinion, 9 5

too

The construction, arrangement, and proportionsof the parts described are such that the stop-lever E rests in and engages the notch S in the disk 7 whenever the latch E drops into one of the deeper series of notches in the wheel E, the said disk 7 making one complete revolution to each notch on the wheel E, so that until the latch E arrives at one of the deeper notches the lever IE will be prevented from entering the notch 8. \Vhen, however, the minute-hand approaches the hour, the pin or projection 17 on the arbor B engages the releasing lever D and elevates the latch E, thereby raising the lever E from the notch 8 and releasing the shaft 5 and its connections. At the same time the lever D is thus raised to release the striking mechanism the arm 15, mounted on the same shaft therewith, is projected into the path and engages the toe 14 on fly-shaft 13,thus holding the striking mechanism out of action until the lever D drops from the pin 17 on arbor B, when the arm 15 is with drawn and the striking mechanism continues in operation, one blow of the hammer being delivered for each notch of the wheel E, until by the descent of the latch E the stop-lever E is again permitted to enter the notch 8 in cam 7.

It is understood that a suitable spring or motor is to be provided for the striking mechanism, said motor acting directly or indirectly upon the wheel 1, carrying pins '2, for alternately raising and releasing the hammer-carrying devices, as but little power is required to run the regulating and controlling mechanism. By mounting the hammer-actuating wheel 1 of thestriking devices and the masterwheel 3 of the controlling and regulating devices both upon the arbor B the several devices can be more compactly arranged, and can be applied to ordinary clock movements and frames by the simple addition of bearings 19 and 20.

. Thus far I have described the modifications and arrangements which may be adopted when my invention is applied to clocks of ordinary construction such, for example, as that shown by way of illustration; but I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to such devices, as the principal feature of my present invention relates to the mode of applying and arranging the spring or motor for actuating or setting in motion the striking mechanism, whether the latter be of the kind illustrated or of any equivalent construction.

The wheel 20 for driving the arbor B is, as usual, connected to rotate said arbor by either a ratchet or frictional connection, such as will permit the arbor to be turned independently of the wheel 2O, as in setting or changing the position of the hands. To this arbor B or other shaft driven by the spring A of the clock-frame is attached one end of a coiled spring, 21, said spring being wound within a barrel, 22,- connected to the striking mechanism, as by attachment to the master-wheel 3 of the regulating devices, as shown. The outer by the rotation of the arbor to which its inner end is secured, the outer end will be held stationary within the barrel. XVhen, however, the tension of the spring is increased sufficiently to overcome the friction of the spring against the wall of the barrel, the outer end of the spring will slip or move forward until the spring has unwound sufficiently and its tension released to such a degree as that its outer end will be held by the friction on the barrel; and in order that a comparatively light spring may be used I prefer, instead of applying its outer end directly to the .walls of the barrel, to attach a section, 23, of a heavier spring, said section 23 serving to effect the desired frictional connection between the outer end of the spring and the walls of the barrel. This spring 21 constitutes the motor for the striking mechanism, and, while performing all the offices of the usual spring or weight, does not require winding, being automatically rewound and set for action by the spring A of the clock-train, and at the same time permits the hands to be set or adjusted in the usual manner without in any degree diminishing or interfering with its action.

It will be observed, in the first place, that the tension ofthe spring 21 can, under no circumstances, be unduly increased so as to break or disarrange the working part when the arbor B is rotated either by hand or by the spring A, and, further, that at each revolution of the arbor B, carrying the hand, the spring 21 is rewound, and although the extent of its movement varies with the number of strokes of the hammer, by providing a surplus of power and connecting the spring by a device permitting it to yield when the power increases above a certain point I am able to at all times furnish sufficient power to the striking mechanism, notwithstanding the fact that the arbor is rotated but once an hour, while the strokes of the hammer vary from one to twelve each hour.

In order to obviate the noise produced by the hammer'lcver striking against thestop 30, and which is particularly noticeable where, instead of abell, a sounding-spring or other device-such as employed in cathedral-clocksis employed, I attach to the side of the lever, or to the pin or rest 30, against which it bears, a light spring, 31, so that the blow will be cushioned upon said spring.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a clock such as described, the combination, with the arbor of the minute-hand, of a spring secured thereto by one of its ends, its other end being connected to the striking train through a frictional connection, whereby the striking-train is operated by the power of said spring and the arbor of the minute-hand is not arrested in its forward movement, substantially as described.

2. In a clock such as described, the combination, with the arbor of the minute-hand, of a spring and a barrel in train with the striking mechanism inclosing the same, mounted on the said arbor, one end of said spring being secured to the arbor, while its opposite end is connected to said barrel through a frictional connection, substantially as described.

3. In a clock such as described, the combination, with the arbor of the minute-hand, of a spring and barrel for inclosing the same, mounted on said arbor, one end of the spring beingsecured thereto, its opposite end being in frictional engagement with the barrel, which 

